Cantina
Social AI app Cantina has done it again with its same old format: someone in the family breaks tragic news in a comedic and unexpected way.
All videos start with a UGC reaction and end with an explicit CTA.
"My dog just died, and this is how my mom decided to tell me" pulled an insane 9.9 million views, 1.4 million likes, 4.9k comments, and over 370k shares.
SideMe
SideMe AI is an app that teaches you how to code, calling itself the "Duolingo for coding." Not only do they follow that strategy strictly, they even copied the same mascots in different colors and place them side by side in widgets and app features in every single post.
This week, one carousel hit 1.4 million views with the trending hook "one day… or day 1." The last slide is a screenshot of the app, showing a Duolingo-like menu with coding terms.
No Contact
No Contact is a simple app that tracks how many days you go without contacting your ex.
Four days ago, one of their carousels reached 586k views and almost 700 comments.
The post starts with a slide of the creator crying over "Day 1 no contact." A few slides later, he shows that he gets a text from his ex asking to meet. The final slide then displays his streak through a screenshot of the app.
Bloom
The finance and investing app Bloom went viral this week on a new account with just 227 followers.
"I wanna have 15k saved by summer, give me your most unhinged ways you have saved money."
The video reached 1.1 million views, 120k likes, and 911 comments. The top comment mentions Bloom and appears to be staged by one of their creators, then pushed further, likely with paid support, to 7,631 likes.
FocusTown
The study and productivity app Focus Town performed well on IG Reels this week with a faceless desk setup video showcasing the app's game on an iPad.
"Study hack: use this app to study with your friends online so you stay locked in the whole time, no distractions."
The video reached 915k views and 583 comments, showing that you can still go viral on Instagram Reels without a large following. The creator currently has 402 followers.
Stompers
The social step tracking app Stompers went viral last week with a "calorie deficit hack" video.
The creator follows her usual format, filming herself walking before cutting to a screen recording of the app.
The video reached 918k views and 449 comments, making it her best performing video so far.
Brainly
Closing with study app Brainly, which pulled some solid views with a sped-up UGC video with the hook "Me writing down every formula I memorized as soon as the exam starts before it escapes my brain".
It hit 2.3 million views just six days ago.